


The Future

by Roadstergal



Category: Captain America (Movies), Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Disassembled, Gen, Loss, Mindfuck, Nightmares, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Regret, Wakanda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 08:31:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15577881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roadstergal/pseuds/Roadstergal
Summary: A gapfiller post-Civil War.  Neither Steve nor Tony knows what to do, now...





	1. Chapter 1

The dawn crept over the horizon, gorgeous and lush, the dark sky staining blue, then purple, then the burst of orange and red sun. Steve turned around, running back up the dirt trail, through the scattered, cozy villages, back towards the palace. 

Running allowed his mind to work, to chew on a problem, to spit out possible solutions. This current one, however, was proving intractable. His brain was running in loops like his run, unproductively. Bucky was safe for now, yes, but even if he recovered - he was an international criminal. 

Like Steve. 

He couldn't stay here. He was putting T'Challa at risk, putting all of Wakanda at risk. All he wanted to do was help, but his very presence caused harm. Where could he go? 

He slowed to a walk as he approached the palace. There was only one place he wanted to be. _Home_. At the compound. But Tony was there, and Tony hated him, now. 

Where else could he go? What other friends did he have? 

He mounted the broad, cool steps - pure vibranium, a statement of Wakanda's power and wealth - and continued on inside, climbing more stairs and walking down elegant hallways, entering his opulent room. _It is not our finest_ , Shuri had apologized, _but the notice was short._

He shed his shorts and running shoes, letting the powerful, pulsating jets of water pummeled his muscles, and he moaned as they attacked the tightness that never really went away. 

As he stepped out of the shower, a sparkle of gold appeared in the air. Steve knotted the towel around his waist, watching warily. Was this a Wakanda thing, or something more sinister? 

It expanded into a... well... a hole in space? Through it, Steve could see a hallway, a staircase... and a man stepping through. Caucasian, grey streaks in his black hair, an immaculate Van Dyke, dressed like a carnival magician, right down to his flowing red cape. The portal closed behind him as he stepped into the room. "I," he intoned, "am Doctor Stephen Strange."

"Who are you, and why are you here?" Steve asked.

The man cocked his head. "I... just told you, I'm Dr Strange. I'm here to talk to you."

Steve nodded. "About what?"

"About the future."

"What about it? Why do you care?"

Dr Strange fluttered his cape and settled into one of the comfortable chairs scattered around the room. "I am tasked with defending the Earth from various threats. There's a _nasty_ one coming."

Oh, really. "Hey, great defender, where were you when Loki invaded New York? When Ultron was turning Sokovia into a meteorite?" Steve frowned.

Strange fluttered his hand dismissively. "You Avengers could handle those. I only step in when needed. Loki came back recently, by the way. You didn't hear about it because I _took care of it_." He held out his hand ominously. "What is to come, however, makes all before pale in comparison."

"Well, the Avengers will take care of it, too." Who _was_  this werido?

"There are no Avengers. You were a key pillar, Captain America. Without you, they will collapse. You must go back."

Steve shook his head. "I'm not Captain America anymore. The Avengers will be fine, it was all about Tony anyway."

"I have seen the future, Steve. I have that power." He gestured to his glowing green amulet. "The Avengers will not survive your absence. The Earth will be undefended."

"I don't know you. I do know Tony. He's not going to be happy to see me."

"He'll get over it. Pretty damn quickly. If you remain in hiding, the probability of Earth surviving what is to come is very low."

"I can't believe you." Steve shook his head.

"Fine," Strange sighed. He stood. "You force me to do something I did not want to do." With a gesture, another portal appeared.

"And what is that?" Steve asked, warily, assuming a defensive stance.

"Talk to Tony." Strange stepped through the portal, and it closed behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Dreams were nothing new, for Tony. He had them almost every night. For a long time, it was mostly Yinsen. _Don’t waste it. Don’t waste your life._

Yes, it did push him more. To be what Yinsen thought he could, to change his legacy. But was it really better to turn it into a Keystone Cop of a superhero, fucking up everything he tried to make better? Surely there were better ways to go about it...

And then Ultron became a recurring actor in his dreams. Excellent job. Alongside Steve, the vision of him dying so vivid that it haunted his nightmares every bit as well as Steve ripping a log apart with his bare hands, looking at Tony as if he'd prefer to do that to Tony's torso.

And now, whatever poor bastard had the job of directing must be working on a drinking problem, because he had far too much to jam into one nightmare... his murdered mother, Cap's face twisted in anger, the shield coming down as Tony threw his hands up, not wanting to see Cap's satisfaction at his death... and always, Yinsen, his voice increasingly accusatory. 

_Don’t waste it. Don’t waste your life._

Until they stopped.

Maybe Tony should worry about why, but he was just too happy to finally _sleep_  properly, something he had forgotten the delicious feel of. His dreams were more amorphous, now. Gentle. Domestic. A wife, a son...

Why not embrace it? Steve hated him. Keeping the Avengers together would be so much effort... for what end? Taking the leadership role he didn't want? 

The Avengers dissolved like ice in a neglected drink. Steve went to Wakanda (yes, Tony kept track of him still, could you blame him?) and did not contact him again. He could practice being a _dad_ , with Peter. He could win Pepper back.

This was an acceptable legacy - wasn't it?


End file.
